Gov. Bev Perdue and emergency management officials are working to help all communities affected by Hurricane Irene recover and rebuild.
"Lives have been lost, homes and property destroyed," Gov. Perdue said. "My number one priority is for a recovery that is as seamless and efficient as possible," Gov. Perdue said.
Seven North Carolinians havedied as a result of Hurricane Irene. Thousands were displaced and more than 1,100 homes were destroyed.
North Carolina has received federal disaster declarations for nine counties, which allows families and business owners to seek low-interest loans or grants to help with recovery.
"Our fellow North Carolinians who suffered losses during this storm need help to start rebuilding their lives now – not tomorrow."
The declarations have been approved for Beaufort, Carteret, Craven, Dare, Hyde, Pamlico, Tyrrell, Halifax and Lenior counties.
Damage assessment teams are still working and more counties may be added.
Gov. Perdue has also requested federal public assistance funding for 20 counties. Those declarations would help defray the recovery cost to local governments. Cleanup for the storm is estimated to reach $40 million in debris removal and infrastructure repairs.
Preliminary county assessments indicate more than $70 million in damages for personal losses. Agricultural losses are also being tallied. Martin County alone has reported more than $37 million in crop damage.
Gov. Perdue visited counties throughout Eastern North Carolina this week to assess the state's response to Hurricane Irene.
She met with emergency responders who have been working around the clock.
She met families dealing with devastating losses and local officials working to recover from the storm.
She saw devastated crops and talked with farmers about their losses.
On Thursday, Gov. Perdue spoke with Eastern North Carolina school superintendents and community college presidents. She promised the educators that more help is coming.
"I'm moving aggressively to make sure families, businesses and communities receive the assistance they need to fully recover from this storm," Gov. Perdue said.
For more information about the state's response to Hurricane Irene, and for the latest updates, including information on appyling for federal assistance, follow North Carolina Emergency Management on Twitter @NCEmergency or connect with Facebook at www.facebook.com/NCEmergencyManagement. Updates are also available on the Crime Control and Public Safety website at www.nccrimecontrol.org.
Gov. Perdue has ordered the N.C. Department of Transportation to develop both short- and long-term solutions for the devastation to N.C. 12 caused by Hurricane Irene.
The Department has created a one-stop web page for essential information.
On the site, you’ll find NCDOT’s Google map with markers linked to its aerial photos of the breaches along the Outer Banks. Clicking on the markers brings up DOT’s aerial photos of the sites. The site includes the latest news on the Bonner Bridge and outlines steps being taken to restore access to the Outer Banks and other recovery information. You can also find links to specific ferry information and links to local agencies.
DOT has also established a dedicated Twitter feed for N.C. 12, @NCDOT_NC12.
For real-time travel information at any time, call 511, visit www.ncdot.gov/travel or follow NCDOT on Twitter. Another option is NCDOT Mobile, a phone-friendly version of the NCDOT website. To access it, type “m.ncdot.gov” into the browser of your smartphone. Then, bookmark it to save for future reference. NCDOT Mobile is compatible with the iPhone, Android and some newer Blackberry phones.
Many thousands of Eastern North Carolina residents have been affected by Hurricane Irene.
Gov. Perdue has announced that citizens wishing to offer monetary relief for survivors of Hurricane Irene may send their donations to the N.C. Disaster Relief Fund.
"Thousands of North Carolinians are still reeling from the devastation caused by Hurricane Irene, but we’re all pulling together to get things back to normal," said Gov. Perdue. "For people who want to help, we’ve established the North Carolina Disaster Relief Fund."
The Fund is set up to distribute money to various volunteer organizations that work on long-term recovery efforts, such as the repair and rebuilding of homes. Donated funds are for recovery efforts only, and are not used for administrative purposes.
"Homes, roads, businesses and farms have been damaged and our residents need your help – I’m asking every North Carolinian to remember that even the smallest donation adds up to assist North Carolina families in a big way," said Gov. Perdue.
The fund is set up through the N.C. Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service, housed in the Office of the Governor, in partnership with United Way of North Carolina. All donations are tax-deductible.
Checks may be mailed to: N.C. Disaster Relief Fund, 20312 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC, 27612. Credit card donations may be made at: www.ncdisasterrelief.org.
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